Remember Me
by singafterastorm
Summary: The Notebook/Faberry Crossover fic! Quinn Fabray doesn't believe in much, but she does believe in love. She tells her wife about the love of a lifetime, their own, in the hopes that she may regain her memory ... even if only for a moment.


_**Present:**_

When I wake up in the morning, I feel hopeful. Today will be the day. I can feel it. My feet find the floor quickly, and I stretch back embracing the morning sun. I walk to the window and open it up. The birds are singing, the fresh air is blowing into the room, and I just know. It has to be the day. It has to be.

But as I fix myself up, and grab the oh-too-familiar notebook, I can feel the stares. People feel bad for me. I know they do. But in reality I feel bad for them. They've never experienced the love I have. I keep my shoulders squared as I leave my room and walk down the halls. My body isn't as strong as it used to be. As I approach my 80's I know I won't last much longer. I feel my body holding out for one last moment with her. My heart beats, my lungs breath, and my soul goes on only to wait for the day Rachel Berry remembers me.

By the time I walk into her room, she's dressed and awake. Her eyes are filled with fear and mystery. I'm not surprised, and my heart only breaks slightly at the sight now. With every day that passes I get used to what my life has become. I get used to the fact that my wife barely remembers me because of the Alzheimer's.

So I do the one thing I know, I read. I open the notebook and start at the beginning. The beginning of the story will set the tone. I will introduce her to the characters. I will usher her through a story line that I am extremely familiar with.

I will tell her about how we fell in love. I will hope, by the grace of God, this triggers her memory, even just for a moment. My attempts haven't proven successful yet, but maybe, just maybe, they will. Just this once.

_**Past:**_

When Rachel Berry sees the newspaper, she can't breathe. The people around her panic. Maybe it's the corset she wears underneath her wedding dress. Maybe it's the fact that it's so humid in the room. Maybe she's hungry and feels faint. Maybe the answer isn't in black and white underneath their noses.

She grabs the paper in her hands and reads the caption. _Carolinian native reopens The Raleigh Theater. _The picture underneath the caption frightens her. The woman standing there smiles back to her with emptiness. Her fingertips graze the picture hoping to feel the familiar lingering of the woman's underneath hers. But instead she feels nothing but a lost hope, a lost love.

"By goodness gracious, get this girl some air." Her father chuckles, opening a window, and letting fresh air into the room. He grabs his daughter's hand and escorts her off the pedestal where she was standing. "Now go get changed and relax. We'll give the dress back to the fitters for safekeeping. You looked beautiful."

Rachel does what he says, but not because she wants to. She does it because she doesn't know what to feel. There she was, the woman she had once loved, in front of the Theater that had brought them together. _I'm going to remake this theater you know._ The woman's voice echoed in her ear. _You laugh Rach, but I'll do it. I need to see you standing on that stage. I need to see you become a star._

Honey? Are you okay?" Her father asks, but it takes everything in Rachel just to push the tears back.

Shaking her head, she pushes into the dressing room. Rachel rips off her wedding dress in a hurry and changes back into her light blue lace dress. As she stumbles out of the room in heels, she doesn't care that she doesn't look like a lady. Her hair is a mess, her dress is wrinkled and she trips with every step forward. But she doesn't care because she has one thought in her mind screaming at her.

Before she knows it, she's on her way home. Rachel knows she should explain to her dads but she can't find the energy in her. Her hands fly quickly over her things as she packs her suitcase. _I'm just going to shop. Walk down memory lane._

The only thing that makes her hesitate is the ring on her left hand. The engagement ring weighs heavily on her, but she pushes the thought in the back of her mind. She would call her fiancé on the way over and say that she was going to visit old friends. If there was anything Finn Hudson was not, it was suspicious.

Her bags are packed in an instant and she rushes towards her car. Her mind repeating the same thoughts over and again.

Rachel needs to see Quinn again. And she needs to see her now.

Quinn Fabray takes a step back and gives a soft smile. The old theater has redeemed some of its old glory. Her eyes flutter closed and she remembers her adolescence here. As teenagers Rachel and her would sneak into this old theater and perform. She would be in the audience to give her beautiful girlfriend a standing ovation. It was practice for the future.

She remembers the summer days spent in each other's arms on that stage. She remembers the time they first kissed backstage. And that's why she had made the promise that she would rebuild it to its former glory. One day Rachel Berry was going to be a star, and she was going to perform at the place it all started. Quinn wanted to be a part of that.

Quinn opened the theater up for small in-town shows and banquets. On the weekends she showed old movies and got the business running. But Quinn knows the real reason she continues to work there. She knows the real reason she didn't sell the theater to the highest bigger. Quinn is waiting for the moment that she would see Rachel perform on her stage.

And she also knows that moment will never come.

Quinn pushes open the doors and walks inside, waving at a few of the strangling kids. There was a summer camp that attended one of her shows and they were leaving. She gives a small wave to the kids with a smile.

She walks over to the empty auditorium, and stands there in remembrance. Slowly she makes her way down the aisle. With every step a new memory comes back to her. Quinn lets it flood her mind one last time. She had accomplished her dream for Rachel, and now that meant she must create a new one for herself.

She lets a tear slide down her face as she continues to march toward the stage. Quinn remembers their goodbyes. Rachel was going to go to New York and she was going to be a star. But that's not where Quinn wanted to be. That's not what she was made to do. That wasn't her dream.

So they parted ways promising to come back to one another. And then after 365 letters with no response, Quinn Fabray gave up on trying to win Rachel back. Instead, she focused on keeping their memories alive. But now that she achieved that, Quinn realizes its time to move on.

But can anyone move on from true love?

She takes a step onto the stage and turns on the stage light. The familiar light blinds her for a moment, until she adjusts as she makes her way to center stage. As she closes her eyes she feels the warmth of the theater, of the moment, and of the memories.

Taking one last deep breath, she sighs. "Goodbye Rach." Quinn doesn't open her eyes until she has turned around toward the curtain, and heads toward the backstage area.

That is when she hears it.

"Q – Quinn?" The voice is barely a croak, but it's loud enough to get her attention. As the stage lights dim, the source of the voice is easy to spot standing in the audience. Quinn turns around in shock at the figure before her. For a moment they stand in silence until the figure plops down her suitcases, a weary but tired expression on her face. But even then Quinn stays silent because her one prayer has finally been answered.

Rachel Berry has come back to town.


End file.
